Sexy Little Knits: Chic Designs to Knit and Crochet [Paperback]

Ashley Paige (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2006

Knitting and crochet just got sexy. Celebrity swimsuit designer Ashley Paige reveals knit and crochet patterns forflirty, fabulous bikinis and more.

They’re flirty, they’re fun, they’re fresh. They’re gracing the pages of Elle, Seventeen, InStyle, and the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and they’ve been spotted on the hot bods of Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani. They’re the crochet and knit swimwear designs of Ashley Paige, and now they’re available in Sexy Little Knits, a collection of twenty-four patterns for chic summer pieces—from swimwear and tanks to dresses and shorts.

Ashley’s most popular knit and crochet patterns combine sophisticated color and fun stitches with elegantly form-fitting shapes. This assortment of stylish knitwear is presented in three chapters:

“Peace, Love, and Bikinis” celebrates classic bikinis and one-piece swimsuits.

“Sunshine, Good Vibes” includes patterns for dresses, tank tops, miniskirts, and short-shorts.

“Cozy Homebodies” features slinky garments perfect for lounging, such as camisoles, bathrobes, and sleepwear.

Each pattern is accompanied by clear instructions and helpful suggestions for customizing these designs with fun trims, clever color choices, options for more (or less) coverage, and creative stitch possibilities. Lushly photographed by fashion favorite Yu Tsai, Sexy Little Knits makes it easy to create a whole summer wardrobe at home or on the beach.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The knitting phenomenon takes a summer beach vacation in Paige's first book. Blurbed as "knits that melt onto your body" by Paige's archetype customer, Carmen Electra, Paige provides patterns for one teeny-tiny bikini after another, barely there in lush, full-color photos. Paige offers three chapters: the self-explanatory "Peace, Love & Bikinis;" "Sunshine, Good Vibes" with "Terry Short-shorts" and the "Little Mermaid Strapless Top;" and a collection of sexy evening and lounge wear like the "Sexpot Cami" in the "Cozy Homebodies" chapter. The drawbacks to Paige's approach are worth considering: "Some of the recommended yarns are not ocean-, pool-, or hot tub-proof," Paige advises. Sizes go no larger than about a women's 8, and knitters who have someone slim enough to qualify should keep in mind that Paige's definition of "sexy" almost always means lots of skin, with very little bits of strategically placed knitting. Beginners beware: there aren't any knitting how-tos here, just clearly laid out patterns accompanied by succinct knitting instructions. PHOTOS
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About the Author

Ashley Paige’s celebrity client list includes Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and the Hilton sisters. Her designs have appeared on MTV, VH1, and Extra, and in Vogue, Lucky, and People. She lives in Hollywood, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Potter Craft (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307236579
• ISBN-13: 978-0307236579
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute but hard to interpret, June 13, 2006

By 

Knitting Cat (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sexy Little Knits: Chic Designs to Knit and Crochet (Paperback)

The designs in this book are very very cute. I can't wear them (except the bathrobe, which I do plan to knit for myself) but I have a step-daughter who can, which is almost as good.
I give it only three stars as I am attempting to knit the Blue Suede Bikini and am finding the instructions to be very poorly written. At this moment I am literally drawing the design out on graph paper to discover where the lace pattern would lie and how the increases should work. The instructions for the construction of the bottom from crotch to the back are particularly obtuse.

I am not a beginning knitter but I've had to rip out several times before I resorted to graphpaper.

I do hope to see more from Ms. Paige but I hope that she is able to improve her directions.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I'm not sure the frustration is worth the effort, February 18, 2007

By 

Cupcake Heidi - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sexy Little Knits: Chic Designs to Knit and Crochet (Paperback)

I loved the patterns in the book and bought it on the spot. There are however alot of errors in the patterns that can be overcome with alot of patience and work which is an annoyance when the book cost thrity something dollars new when I got it. I have written the publisher and the artists website but have yet to hear from either. The book offers great starts to wonderful projects that you will spend alog of your own time trying to figure out because her instructions are wrong at some point. I have still made a couple of the peices however and have been very happy with them once I finally figured out what in the world I should do to make it work. I would not recommend this to a beginning knitter at all. They will get frustrated... I still am.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Machine knit instructions for the handknitter, July 15, 2008

By 

jaet - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sexy Little Knits: Chic Designs to Knit and Crochet (Paperback)

As a machine and hand knitter, it is obvious that the garments on this piece were constructed on a machine and then the directions were interpretted for hand knitters. This makes for some wild instructions and impossible gauges. When changing a machine pattern to a hand knit pattern, you can't simply replace "needle" with stitch, as is done in this book. Furthermore, some manuevers that are easy and common on a machine are awkward and seldom used when knitting by hand, but this book does not offer alternatives.

In short, I find it highly doubtful that any test garments for these patterns were actually produced by hand. They work great on a machine, but for the hand knitter, I cannot recommend this book.